Thankful (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)
by ilna
Summary: Thanksgiving Day at the McGarrett/Rollins home. Part 7 of the REAL World Thanksgiving Marathon.


**Notes: **I have so much to be thankful for this year so I hope you'll indulge me as I write a few of them here.

To my wonderful family – I am incredibly thankful for your love, understanding, and support.

To Esther – I am thankful every day that I can call you my friend.

To Mari and Sammy – There are no words for how thankful I am for you two. For the monobrain and the Nonna hugs and the Skype . . . the list goes on and on. You two have the ability to make me laugh, cry, squeal, bounce, cackle, and spit-take. And usually all in the same day. You are true friends and I am so incredibly thankful that I have you both in my life.

To our amazingly generous readers – I am humbled by your support and feedback in every single form it takes. You make the REAL World a community and one that I am so thankful to be a part of.

I got an email around Halloween that said, "This is what happens when you're not on Skype. You get nominated to write the Thanksgiving Day story." I was proud and honored to do so because the reason touched my heart. It took until the wee hours of the morning, but I hope you enjoy how it turned out.

Happy Thanksgiving.

* * *

_Thankful (A McRoll in the REAL World Story)_

"We should really get up," Catherine said breathlessly.

She ran her hands through Steve's hair as he hovered above her, kissing her neck and shoulder.

"Yeah," he murmured against her skin, pushing the strap of her tank top aside.

"We don't . . ." she paused as he slid her tank top up and off, "have time for this . . ."

"Nope."

He bent his head to kiss her breast, and she gasped.

"Steve, you're not getting up . . ."

He glanced up without lifting his head. "Oh, I'm 'getting up' all right."

She smacked him lightly on the back, smiling. "I meant–"

"I know what you meant," he said, straightening enough to look at her. "But you aren't either. Or is that someone else's hand on my–"

Catherine cut him off with a deep kiss.

His lips drifted back to her neck and she said, "My mom and grandma are probably already in the kitchen cooking . . ."

"So _be quiet_, Rollins," he said against her skin.

"Mmmmmm," she moaned. "I meant . . . we should be in there helping them . . ."

Steve propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at her.

"Catherine, this is our last chance to really touch each other for . . . probably fifteen _hours_, if not more. And there's a good chance we'll be so tired tonight–"

"Okay, okay." She grinned and ran her hands up his chest and over his shoulders. "You've convinced me."

He snorted. "Did you really need to be convinced?"

"Not really," she said with a smirk.

He bent to kiss her but she stopped him.

"But remember . . . we've gotta be quiet."

He scoffed. "I'm not the one who needs to–"

Catherine cut him off again with another deep kiss.

* * *

"You two," Catherine accused as she and Steve entered the kitchen to find Elizabeth and Grandma Ang at the island cutting celery and onions. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We wanted to get a start on the stuffing," Elizabeth said, completely unrepentant. "It takes a long time to cut enough for this big a batch."

"Don't worry," Ang said with a wink. "We left the bread for you. We know that's your favorite part."

Catherine smiled, satisfied. "Okay then."

"Thought we weren't stuffing the turkey this year," Steve said.

"Not with stuffing, no," Ang confirmed. "We'll be putting oranges, lemons, and onions inside. But we absolutely had to make this." She indicated the ingredients in front of her. "For Mr. Ono."

Elizabeth blinked back tears, and Catherine touched her arm.

Steve nodded his understanding.

"We'll have this done before breakfast, and we'll start on the turkey after," Ang said.

"Speaking of breakfast, it smells fantastic," Steve said, moving toward the crock-pot of overnight oatmeal. "I've said it before, but this is a really great Thanksgiving breakfast idea."

Catherine smiled, taking bowls out of the cupboard. "It may not be cold outside, but I didn't think that was a good enough reason to break tradition."

"Definitely not," Steve said as he stirred the oatmeal. "I don't know why we don't make this more often."

"Wouldn't be as special," Catherine said, coming up beside him and setting the bowls down.

He smiled at her, and she returned the expression.

"Where's Dad?" Catherine asked, looking back at her mother and grandmother. "He can't still be sleeping."

"Oh, he's out back with Cammie," Elizabeth said.

"Is he?" Catherine moved to the kitchen window and looked out to see her father running around with the energetic dog. After Steve had taken her out at 5:00am, Cammie had opted to stay in the living room so she could be the morning greeter as she had done for the last four days.

"Huh," Catherine said with a smile.

Steve joined her and chuckled at the sight. "It was hard to tell who's having more fun, our dog or your dad."

* * *

Once Mary and Joan had come downstairs, the group sat down in the dining room for a light breakfast.

From her seat, Elizabeth could see into the living room. She smiled as she watched Cammie lying on the floor fully occupied with her favorite chew toy.

"Maybe we should get a dog again . . ." she said thoughtfully. "It's been a long time."

"You used to have a dog?" Mary asked, spreading a handful of Cheerios on Joan's tray beside her bowl of oatmeal. The toddler immediately picked up two and put them in her mouth.

"We've had a couple," Joseph said. "We had a little mutt named Piper when Catherine was born. A rescue. He was actually Elizabeth's dog as a teenager. She wouldn't part with him so he and Elizabeth were a package deal when we got married."

He shared a smile with his wife and continued, "We took Catherine to the shelter when she was eight. She campaigned so hard for a puppy . . ."

"And you're a bit of a softie," Elizabeth said.

He tilted his head, acknowledging the fact.

"Salty," Steve said. "Catherine has a little picture of him on the dresser."

He smiled at her.

"He was such a great dog," she said with a fond smile.

"Why 'Salty'?" Mary asked.

Catherine shrugged a little sheepishly. "We lived by the ocean and I was eight."

They all laughed.

"It suited him, though," Elizabeth said. "He loved the water as much as Cammie does."

Joseph nodded his agreement.

"So, yes, it definitely has been a long time," he said.

Catherine smiled and with a wink at her father said, "You should 'seriously consider it,' _Daddy_."

Steve and Mary both looked confused. He turned to Catherine and mouthed, "Daddy?"

Joseph chuckled. "Catherine used to write me little notes when she was young. If I was deployed, Elizabeth would collect them and send them to me in a package every couple weeks. When I was home, Catherine would leave them on my pillow. One day when she was about . . . oh, seven . . . she left a note that said, '_Daddy, I think you should seriously consider getting a puppy. Love, Catherine_.' "

"Aww," Mary said, looking at Catherine. "That is so freakin' adorable."

" 'Seriously consider'?" Steve repeated as he looked at Catherine with raised eyebrows. He nodded. "That sounds about right for you at seven."

"My little walking thesaurus," Elizabeth said, patting her daughter's hand. "She asked me how to spell 'seriously' but wouldn't show me the note."

"I hope you still have that somewhere," Steve said, looking at Joseph.

"I think you know me well enough by now to answer that, Steve."

"Please don't say you're about to pull it out of your pocket," Catherine said with a laugh.

"No, no," he said, smiling. "It's safe at home. Along with all the others."

"I'll be needing to see those next visit," Steve said with a smirk in Catherine's direction.

"Absolutely," Joseph agreed.

"And when might that visit be?" Ang asked.

Catherine laughed. "Gram, we're not even finished with _your_ visit yet."

"Doesn't mean you can't start planning," she returned.

Steve nodded at her. "That's a motto I can get behind."

Catherine chuckled, shaking her head. "I'd say probably spring then," she said with a glance at Steve.

He nodded with a little shrug.

"Oh good!" Ang said. "Joan will be almost two then. We could take her to the zoo."

"Zoo!" Joan repeated, balancing a spoonful of oatmeal in her hand.

Mary looked surprised.

"What?" Elizabeth asked. "You didn't think we were serious the other day when we said you should come visit?"

"I . . . I just thought . . ." she cleared her throat. "I mean . . ." she sighed, trying to contain her smile. "That sounds awesome."

Steve smiled broadly as he observed the emotion on his sister's face.

"Well, we need to get going on that turkey," Ang announced, standing.

"You mean we need to get going so you can watch the Bears' game while we prep the turkey," Elizabeth said with a knowing smile.

Ang shrugged. "Just because I'm cooking doesn't mean I have to miss the game." She looked at Steve. "Thank you again for taking the trouble of setting up that little TV in the kitchen."

He smiled. "For you? No trouble at all."

"Speaking of football . . . what time are we playing?" Joseph asked.

"We're meeting everyone at the park at 10:00," Steve said.

"So we shouldn't miss too much of the Cowboys' game," Catherine said.

"Oh, we'll actually be able to _watch_ the Cowboys with Steve around?" Joseph asked, feigning shock.

"We've come to an understanding about the football," Steve said with a glance at Catherine.

"Meaning we don't talk about the fact that his team is three and eight and mine is eight and three," she said with a smirk.

"Yeah, but remind me, one of those three losses is to _who_ again?"

"Three. And. Eight," she enunciated each word.

He sighed heavily.

"Besides," she continued. "Revenge game is coming in a few weeks, buddy. And payback is a–" she stopped, glancing at Joan. "A you-know-what."

Joseph folded his arms, trying to hide his grin. "Although, the Cowboys will probably be getting ready for the playoffs at that point, so they might be resting some of their–"

Steve threw up his hands, groaning, and Catherine and Joseph laughed.

"Okay," Elizabeth said as she stood. "I know this family and football. We could be sitting here all day. Turkey time."

"Could um . . . could I help?" Mary asked with a little wince. "I uh . . . I have some making up to do after last year. And I'd like to start learning. I really have no idea how to prep a turkey."

Steve's lips twisted in a teasing smile. "Information that would have been useful around this time last year."

She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Absolutely," Elizabeth said. "We'd love the help."

"Okay. I'll be in as soon as Joan's finished. She can be such a poky eater."

"Go on," Steve said. "I'll stay with her."

Mary flashed him a grateful smile.

She turned to Joan and said, "Keep eating, peanut. Uncle Steve is going to sit with you."

"Teeve!" Joan said, holding out a cheerio for him.

He leaned over and ate it right out of her hand.

"Mmm. Thanks, Joanie," he said, smiling at her.

She laughed in delight, kicking her feet, and held out another one for him.

He shook his head with a grin. "No, you eat that one."

She giggled, putting the cereal in her mouth.

Mary and Catherine exchanged a smile at the exchange.

Catherine leaned over and kissed Steve on the cheek, squeezing his arm as she stood.

She and Mary followed Elizabeth and Grandma Ang into the kitchen.

Joseph sat back in his chair, folding his arms as he looked across at Steve and asked seriously, "So, this family football game . . . what are the teams?"

* * *

Steve, Catherine, Joseph, Grandma Ang, and Joan returned from the football game in the park just before noon. Elizabeth and Mary had stayed behind to continue preparing for dinner. The turkey needed regular basting, and they had begun the various appetizers and side dishes that would be served.

Both women came out of the kitchen and smiled to see Cammie had beat them to the door.

"Hey," Elizabeth said. "How was it?"

"More importantly . . . who won?" Mary said, taking Joan from Catherine and kissing her daughter.

"They had no answer for this combination, right here," Catherine said, motioning to herself and Steve. "McGarrett to Rollins for the win."

He nodded proudly, draping an arm over her shoulder.

Elizabeth laughed. "I thought your friends wouldn't let you two be on the same team."

"Football is the exception," Steve said.

"How are we doing here? Everything on schedule?" Catherine asked.

"Absolutely," Elizabeth said. "The turkey looks great, and we've started preparing the cornbread casserole and the green bean casserole. We're still on track for dinner at 3:00. And I have to say, Mary is a very quick study."

"Because I have a great teacher," Mary said, smiling at Elizabeth.

"But we'll need all hands on deck to peel the potatoes so get cleaned up and report for duty. All of you."

"Aye, aye, ma'am," Steve, Catherine, Joseph, and Ang said in unison.

"Aye!" Joan repeated, causing all of the adults to laugh.

Joseph headed upstairs, and Mary followed with Joan. The toddler had eaten a light lunch at the park with Grandma Ang, and Mary hoped to put her down for an early nap.

Ang joined Elizabeth in the kitchen while Steve and Catherine made their way toward the den with Cammie in the lead.

Steve nodded toward the bathroom as they passed it. "Go ahead. I'll hop in the shower after you."

"Okay, just need to do one thing first," she said as she walked into the den ahead of him.

"What's that?" he asked.

She turned and shut the door, pressing him against it and kissing him passionately. His arms immediately went around her and he groaned into her mouth.

"Good game, Commander," she said when she pulled back, eyes shining and face aglow.

"Mm, back at you, Lieutenant," he said and pressed his lips back to hers.

She held the kiss for a moment and then pulled back enough to say, "I was thinking about what you said this morning . . ."

"Huh . . .?" he said as he chased another kiss.

She stayed close but maneuvered enough to stay just out of reach of his questing lips.

"When you said it might be fifteen hours until we could really touch each other again," she said, moving her hands over his shoulders and down his chest.

She moved her lips close to his but still didn't kiss him.

"Oh . . .?" he said, and his mouth twitched up in a smile.

"And I find that . . . unacceptable."

She ran her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck in a way that always made him groan.

He swallowed and said, "And what do you propose we do about that, Rollins?"

"We're just going to have to get . . . creative."

She kissed him finally, pressing closer.

He spoke between kisses, saying, "We are . . . definitely . . . problem-solvers."

"We are," she agreed.

He deepened the kiss and started to turn so that she would be on the one against the door, but she broke the kiss and took a step back.

"Catherine," he moaned, looking at her in disbelief.

"To be continued . . ." she said with a smile.

"Wh–"

"Potatoes, sailor."

His chin dropped to his chest, and he ran a hand through his hair.

Heaving a sigh, he smiled at her and said, "Potatoes."

Catherine grabbed clothes from the folded pile on the desk and stepped back up beside him. With one hand on the doorknob, she leaned up to kiss him lightly.

"I'll be about five minutes," she said.

He nodded.

She opened the door and stepped out, but turned back to say, "Oh, and try not to bust Danny too much when he gets here, huh? It's Thanksgiving."

He shrugged with faux innocence.

"Would I do that?"

* * *

Danny and Grace arrived an hour later. Grace was carrying a reusable bag of groceries. Steve hugged her and then looked over at Danny.

"Hey, you finished licking your wounds?" he asked.

"You know, we would've smoked you if Grandma Ang hadn't been feeding you plays the whole time," Danny said with a look over at the sofa's occupants.

Ang winked at him, and Joseph chuckled.

"What can I say?" Steve said. "She knows the game."

"I've always said the Bears should put her on the coaching staff," Joseph added.

Ang clucked her tongue and said, "Those bums."

"I thought the Cubs were the bums?" Steve asked.

She waved a hand dismissively. "They're all bums."

The three men chuckled.

"Hey, Gracie, what do you got there?" Steve asked, nodding toward her bag.

"It's the ingredients for my dessert. I'm making pumpkin fluff. It's got pumpkin filling and Cool Whip, and vanilla pudding mix, and pumpkin spice in it. You can eat it with apple slices or with cinnamon graham crackers. I brought both," she said, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Sounds delicious," Ang said. "I love learning new recipes."

"Why don't you go take that stuff into the kitchen, Monkey?" Danny suggested.

"I'll go with you," Ang said, standing. "I want to see how you make this."

Grace beamed, and she and Grandma Ang made their way into the kitchen.

Catherine was mashing the peeled and cooked potatoes while Elizabeth and Mary were working on a sweet potato bake with brown sugar, cinnamon, and layers of marshmallows.

"It smells so good in here!" Grace exclaimed as she entered.

"Grace, hi!" Catherine said with a wide smile.

"Is there room for me to make my dessert?" Grace asked.

"We'll make room," Elizabeth said. "I'm excited to see what you've got planned."

"Here, I'll grab you an apron so you don't get anything on your dress," Catherine offered, moving toward the pantry door.

"Thanks," Grace said.

"And I'll help Grace since it looks like you all have the potatoes under control," Ang said.

"Can you check the turkey, Mom?" Elizabeth asked. "It should be getting close to done."

* * *

At two o'clock, Chin and Leilani arrived, each with a pumpkin pie in hand.

"Those look delicious," Steve said, stepping back after answering the door so they could come inside.

"Fresh baked today," Chin announced.

"Here, let me take that," Steve said and took the pie from Leilani.

"Thank you," she said. "And thank you so much for the invitation. I'm really happy to be spending Thanksgiving with you all."

Chin smiled at her.

"We're really glad you're here," Steve said sincerely. "Please, make yourself at home."

"I'm going to see if they need any help in the kitchen," she said.

He chuckled. "Well, in that case, I'll give you this back," he said, handing her the pie.

She took the other one from Chin and headed for the kitchen as Adam and Kono appeared in the open doorway.

"Hey," Steve said. "Come on in."

Chin stepped to the side so they could enter the house.

"What'd you got there, cuz?" he asked, motioning to the tins they were carrying. "We baked pumpkin pie."

Kono raised her eyebrows.

"Well, Leilani baked pumpkin pie, and I carried one of them," Chin corrected.

"That sounds more likely," Kono said, smiling at him. "We've got pecan and apple."

"But I have to confess we ordered these from a bakery," Adam admitted.

Steve sighed. "Ah, I guess we'll let you in anyway since we already set up the chairs," he finished with a smile.

He clapped Adam on the back and said, "Glad you came."

"Thank you, Steve."

"Make yourself at home. There are appetizers in the dining room . . ."

"I recommend the roasted red pepper dip on these flat pretzel things," Danny said as he entered the living room holding a small plate.

"Yes, please eat _all_ of the flat pretzels," Steve said. "I'd consider it a personal favor."

"What else you got over there?" Chin asked as he walked toward the dining room to investigate the offerings.

Catherine came out of the kitchen.

"Steve . . ." she began and then saw their new guests. "Oh, hey guys." She smiled broadly. "Welcome. Ooh, more pies. Fantastic."

"Should we put them in the kitchen?" Kono asked.

"Yes, please."

As Kono and Adam walked past her, Catherine turned back to Steve. "Hey, we need some more ice," she said.

"Okay, I'll grab some from the garage."

"I'll go with you," she said.

He looked confused. "How much do we need?"

"A _continuous_ amount."

Steve held her gaze for a beat and then looked over at Danny and Chin.

"We're gonna get ice," he said.

"I can help him, Cath, if you've got other stuff to do," Danny offered, setting his plate down.

"We got it," Steve said.

"Really? Because I'm feeling kind of useless here."

"Have some more dip, Danno," Steve said, guiding Catherine out the door. "We'll be back in a few."

"How long does it take to get ice?" Danny asked just before the door closed.

Once in the garage, Steve pulled Catherine close and kissed her.

When they pulled apart several breathless moments later he asked, "Do we really need ice?"

"Eh, we could use a bit," she said. "I saw an opportunity to be creative."

He grinned and kissed her again.

Five minutes later, Steve and Catherine re-entered the house carrying a bag of ice apiece.

"That it?" Danny asked.

Steve shrugged as Catherine continued on to the kitchen. "Turns out we didn't need that much ice after all."

Danny paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. He smirked. "You're not fooling anyone, you know."

Steve smiled silently and headed for the kitchen.

* * *

A half hour later the turkey was out of the oven and resting under foil until it was time to carve. Catherine and Grandma Ang were in the kitchen making the gravy while the rest of the group, including a newly awakened Joan, were in the living room chatting amiably.

The sound of Steve's phone silenced the room as everyone froze.

Catherine came out of the kitchen, Ang right behind her.

Steve pulled his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID.

He sighed and smiled. Swiping the screen to answer the call, he brought the phone to his ear.

"Aunt Deb, happy Thanksgiving."

Everyone relaxed and smiles reappeared.

"Will you stop apologizing already?" Steve said. "Catherine and I are happy you're spending Thanksgiving with friends." He smiled over at Catherine. "It just means we'll have to make another trip to see you soon."

He paused, listening.

"Yep, we do have a turkey this year. We're just getting ready to carve," he said. After another pause, he continued, "Actually, Mary helped prepare it."

He smiled at his sister who had stood and picked up Joan.

"Hey, I'm gonna put you on speaker, all right?" he said.

Touching the screen, he held the phone out. "Everyone say hi to Aunt Deb."

"Hi, Aunt Deb!" the room chorused.

"Oh my!" she exclaimed. "Talk about stereo. Hi, everyone!"

"Ann Beb!" Joan called, reaching toward the phone.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Deb said. "Are you going to try some turkey this year?"

"T'key!"

"That's my girl. Now, I know there are a few people in the room I haven't met and I am sorry about that. But I do hope we get the chance to meet."

"We hope so, too," Joseph said.

"Catherine?" Deb asked.

"I'm here," Catherine said, stepping up beside Steve and putting her hand on his arm.

"You remember what we talked about last year?"

"Of course."

"Thank you for already doing so much to keep that promise."

Catherine blinked back tears and swallowed around the lump in her throat.

She nodded and said in a slightly shaky voice, "You're welcome."

Steve looked at her, and she smiled up at him through her tears.

Deb's voice continued, "Steve, maybe you'll be a dear and take me off speaker so Mary and I can talk."

"Of course, Aunt Deb," he said.

"Goodbye, everyone. Happy Thanksgiving," she called out.

The occupants of the room echoed her words, and Steve switched off the speaker, bringing the phone back to his ear.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Aunt Deb. I love you." He paused and smiled at her response. "Okay, here's Mary."

He handed the phone to his sister who kept a tight hold on Joan as she said with emotion in her voice, "Hi, Aunt Deb."

Steve looked around the room and said, "Why don't we all head outside?"

* * *

After carving the turkey, Steve walked outside with a platter of meat. Catherine followed with two baskets of crescent rolls fresh from the oven.

Their family and friends had helped carry all of the dishes outside, and after everyone had filled their plates they took their seats.

"Thanksgiving dinner outside," Ang said. "This I could get used to."

Steve stood at his place at the head of the table, and everyone fell silent.

"Before we eat, I wanted to say a few things."

He looked around the table at the faces staring back at him. The corner of his mouth lifted in a smile and he placed his hands on the table in front of him.

"I want to thank everyone for being here today. For sharing this day with me and Catherine."

From her place beside him, Catherine put her hand on top of his and gave him a small, encouraging smile.

"We're very lucky," he continued. "All of us. To all be together this year."

He glanced down the table and nodded at Kono and Adam.

"I'm very thankful for that," he said. "But we have people . . . family and friends . . . who aren't with us."

He glanced at Danny and Grace and smiled at them.

"People who are far away . . ." he sniffed, pausing for a beat and swallowed. "Or who have passed on."

Elizabeth put her hand on Ang's shoulder beside her. Across from them, Leilani took Chin's hand and he flashed her a grateful smile.

"But they're still ohana," Steve said. "And they always will be. So if you'd please raise your glass."

He lifted his glass and waited for everyone to do the same.

"To ohana," he said.

Everyone echoed, "Ohana."

* * *

After the early dinner was finished, Steve and Catherine tried to convince their guests to leave the cleanup to them but were flatly refused. Containers were produced for the leftovers and everything was returned to the kitchen quickly with everyone's help.

Catherine and Elizabeth stayed in the kitchen rearranging items in the refrigerator while everyone else made their way back outside.

Grace asked Grandma Ang how her hula lesson the previous day had gone which led to an impromptu demonstration on the beach.

Steve was at the table piling up the final dishes when Joseph approached.

"I wanted to say," Joseph began, "that was a very nice toast, son."

Steve froze.

Catherine appeared behind them with two large tupperware containers.

"Steve, we're out of room in the fridge," she said.

He shook himself, turning to her.

"I'll take 'em to the garage," he said quietly, taking the containers from her.

She studied him and then looked at her father whose gaze was fixed on Steve.

"I'll be right back," Steve said and walked away.

A few minutes later, Steve was standing in the garage, staring at the Marquis. The tupperware containers sat on the workbench, momentarily forgotten.

Joseph came through the door and stood silently, watching Steve.

Finally, he said, "It's an incredible car. And you've done some outstanding work restoring it."

Steve looked over at him and nodded. "Thank you," he said, his eyes drawn back to the car.

Joseph took a step closer.

"I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable just now."

There was a pause and then Steve took a deep breath.

"No," he said slowly, as if realizing the truth in his own words. "No, you didn't."

"It wasn't a slip of the tongue, Steve. You know me well enough to know I don't say anything I don't mean."

Steve nodded, turning to face him. "I do." He paused and continued, "I hope you know how much I respect you. And to hear you say . . ." his voice trailed off and he licked his lips.

"You're not an easy man to read, Steve. You never have been. But one thing that has always been clear is how deeply you care for my daughter."

Steve nodded again.

"I love Catherine."

"I know you do, son." He smiled. "Known that for a while."

Steve let out a small chuckle. "Family trait, then."

"The life the two of you have built here together . . . it's everything I could have hoped for. For her . . . and for you." He reached out and put a hand on Steve's shoulder. "I'm very thankful the two of you found each other."

* * *

When Steve and Joseph reappeared behind the house, Grandma Ang was leading most of the group through a few basic hula moves. Catherine was leaning against the table and watching with her arms folded but she straightened as she saw the two men approaching.

Her father gave her a small smile and squeezed her arm as he passed on his way back into the house while Steve stopped in front of her.

"Everything okay?" she asked quietly.

In response he cupped her face and kissed her gently.

She opened her eyes slowly as he released her.

He held her gaze and smiled.

"Yeah. Everything's okay."

* * *

Catherine entered the kitchen a few minutes later to find her parents side by side at the sink washing and drying dishes.

"Mom, Dad, come on." She sighed. "What are you doing? Leave those. You've already done so much today. Steve and I will do them later."

Elizabeth shut off the water as she and Joseph turned around.

"Honey, we want to do them," she said. "We don't mind."

"But–"

Her father held up a hand. "Catherine, this is a kind of tradition for your mother and me."

She stood silently and waited for more.

"We've spent many, many holidays apart," he said. "So we do this together now . . . because we can."

Catherine brushed a tear from her cheek and smiled.

She stepped forward and took one of each of her parents' hands.

"I know how I lucky I am . . . to have you guys," she said and swallowed thickly. "I just want you to know how thankful I am that you're my parents."

She took another step, wrapping her arms around them both, and they folded her into a long hug.

* * *

Carrie and John stopped by for dessert and after they and the team had said their goodbyes an hour later, Elizabeth, Joseph, and Grandma Ang were sitting in the living room watching Catherine and Joan play with stackable cups on the floor with Cammie lying close beside them.

Steve entered the room, and Catherine caught his eye. She glanced back toward the lanai, and he followed her gaze to see Mary standing outside alone. He gave Catherine a quick smile and went to join his sister.

Mary was looking out at the ocean as he stepped beside her. They stood quietly for a moment before she began to talk.

"When I was in third grade, right before Thanksgiving my teacher had everyone in our class go around the room and tell one thing they were thankful for. I came home that day and told Mom about it, and she decided we should do that as a family on Thanksgiving Day. Do you remember that?" she asked, her gaze still on the water.

"Yeah, I remember that," he said quietly. "You said you were thankful your best friend Kaleena didn't move to a new school like she was supposed to. I said I was thankful to live someplace where I could be outside all the time. Dad said he was thankful we were all safe. And Mom said . . ." his voice trailed off and he sighed.

She finished for him. "Mom said she was thankful to be with her family."

There was a long pause and Steve said, "Mary–"

"She doesn't even know, Steve," Mary said, turning to him with frustrated tears in her eyes. "She doesn't even know about Joan."

Steve pulled her into his arms and held her quietly for a long moment.

Mary sniffed against his chest and turned her head toward the house. He followed her gaze, and they looked through the window to see Joseph hoisting Joan up in the air as she laughed.

Mary straightened and took a step back. "I know what I'm thankful for this year."

He looked at her.

"We've got family," she said.

Steve put his arm around her and pulled her into his side, his eyes drifting over the people inside one by one.

"Yeah, we do," he said, his voice rough with emotion. "We're not alone anymore, Mare. And we never will be again."

* * *

That night, an exhausted Steve and Catherine settled onto their air mattress in the den.

"Well, we did it," he said, guiding her to lie on her side and pressing close behind her.

"Yes, we did," she said.

He curled an arm around her and took her hand, interlacing their fingers by her head.

After a moment, she said quietly, "Hey."

"Hm?" he asked sleepily.

"Thankful for you."

Steve paused and breathed out slowly.

He tightened his arm around her before he replied.

"I am so, _so_ thankful for you."

* * *

**Notes:** For the Rollins' dogs, we decided to use names submitted for the contest back in June – so thank you to Leni who suggested Salty and Tammy who suggested Piper. We hope you liked seeing your submissions appear in this story.

Thank you again for your overwhelming support for the marathon. Three more stories to go!


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